1. Field of Invention
The present invention is in the field of hands-free percussion instruments and related methods of use.
2. Background of the Invention
Percussion instruments are generally known to be used for generating rhythm and/or sounds as part of a musical composition. For instance, a drummer frequently beats a drum (via a mallet (i.e., a drum stick or any other type of stick or apparatus for suitable for striking a percussion instrument)) to produce a rhythmic beat and a tapping, thumping, or booming sound for the accompaniment of other musical sounds composing a melody. Frequently, it is desirable to have a blend of rhythm and sounds from more than one type of percussion instrument. Nevertheless, without a spare musician to play another type of percussion instrument, musical groups have previously been restricted to only one percussion instrument. Accordingly, there is a need for apparatus and related methods for producing a blend of rhythm and sounds from more than one type of percussion instrument, despite a lack of spare musicians for this purpose.
To address this need, some have suggested the following: having one musician play two separate instruments with separate hands (or separate limbs); or strapping an electronic means to the musician for producing sounds or rhythm while the musician plays a primary instrument (the sound/rhythm may be continual or keyed to the musicians movement via motion sensors) (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,635,516 (issued Jan. 13, 1987), 4,753,146 (issued Jun. 28, 1988), 4,920,848 (May 1, 1990), 5,058,480 (issued Oct. 22, 1991), and 7,038,575 (May 2, 2006)); or strapping an auxiliary instrument to a musician's extremities so that the auxiliary instrument produces rhythm and sound while the musician is playing a primary instrument. Playing separate instruments with separate hands (or limbs) has not adequately satisfied the identified need since some instruments (e.g., a drum) require the musician to use both hands and a foot during musical operation, and using multiple limbs to play separate instruments is complicated, requires a high level of body-coordination, and countless hours of training. Producing sound via electronic equipment has also not sufficiently addressed the above-identified need since electronic equipment is expensive, frequently does not produce an authentic sound or rhythm, and cannot dynamically adapt as would a live musician when presented with circumstances requiring an on-the-fly alteration of the sound or rhythm. Finally, strapping an auxiliary instrument to a musician's extremities so that the auxiliary instrument produces rhythm and sounds while the musician is playing a primary instrument has not fully addressed the above identified need since, among other reasons, the auxiliary instrument and the primary instruments may require conflicting motions from the musician's body (i.e., conflicting modes of instrument operation), and awkward or clumsy movements. Consider the following examples: U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,912 (issued May 20, 1941) discloses a flute worn on the wrist or finger, but when played with a primary percussion instrument, the user must hold the hand or wrist to a mouth which movement/positioning is typically in conflict with preferable modes of operation for the percussion instrument (e.g., shaking or swinging of the arm) (see also U.S. Pat. Nos. D128,297 (issued Jul. 15, 1941), D182,490 (issued Apr. 8, 1958), 2,780,954 (issued Feb. 12, 1957)); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,361 (issued Mar. 10, 1970) discloses clappers attached to opposing fingers whereby the fingers may be brought together to produce a clapping sound, but when played with a primary percussion instrument, a musician may not be able to fully or properly grip the percussion instruments while clapping the auxiliary instrument via opposing fingers. Thus, there is a need for apparatus and related methods for producing a blend of rhythm and sounds from more than one type of percussion instrument despite a lack of spare musicians for this purpose and in a manner that does not require high-levels of body-coordination, countless hours of training, expensive electronic equipment, or conflicting body motions/modes of instrument operation.
One attempt to satisfy the identified needs is the Go-Jo Bag by Latin Percussion. www.Ipmusic.com/Product_Showcase/Shakers/Ip_gojo_bag.html. The Go-Jo Bag is a bean bag with a strap that produces sounds and/or rhythm via (a) strapping the bag to a palm and repeatedly closing the hand (also works by tossing the bag in the air), (b) grabbing the strap and shaking the bean bag in the manner of maracas or shakers, (c) sliding the bean bag in a manner of an afuche or cabasas, (d) striking the bean bags together, or (b) strapping the bag to a palm and striking other objects (e.g., congas) with the open palm. Id. Many of the modes of Go-Jo Bag operation have the drawbacks mentioned above, namely, if played with a primary instrument, the Go-Jo Bag requires a high-level of coordination, lots of extra training, or conflicting movements/modes of operation. Further, when a Go-Jo Bag is strapped to the palm or wrist of a musician, not all types of percussion instruments can be played as a primary instrument. For example, mallet-stricken percussion instruments cannot properly be played in conjunction with the Go-Jo Bag by a single musician because either the palm is obstructed by the bag (or strap) whereby the musician cannot adequately grab the mallet or the wrist is impeded whereby the musician cannot adequately twist or snap the wrist as required during mallet striking. Accordingly, there a need for apparatus and related methods for producing a blend of rhythm and sounds from more than one type of percussion instrument and in a manner that does not require high-levels of body-coordination, countless hours of training, expensive electronic equipment, conflicting body motions/modes of instrument operation, and without impeding the operation of a mallet-stricken percussion instruments.
While believed inadequate for the currently disclosed purposes, apparatus are known to be attached to a hand for various purposes without fully limiting the gripping function of the hand. Namely, U.S. Pat. No. 2,258,96 (issued Dec. 24, 1940) discloses a thumb guard worn over the entire thumb and around the wrist; U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,126 (issued Mar. 31, 1953) discloses an anti-thumb sucking device worn over the entire thumb and around the wrist; U.S. Pat. No. D310,764 (issued Sep. 18, 1990) discloses a thumb protector worn around the thumb and partial palm; U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,405 (issued Aug. 25, 1998) discloses a thumb-sucking deterrent device worn over the entire thumb, most of the palm, and around the wrist; U.S. Pat. No. D416,650 (issued Nov. 16, 1999) discloses a child's thumb guard worn over the entire thumb, part of the palm, and around the wrist; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,628 (issued Aug. 15, 2006) discloses a thumb protection device worn over the entire thumb, part of the palm, and around the wrist (see FIG. 5). Such apparatus, although designed for attachment to a hand without fully limiting the gripping function of the hand, are not adequate or adapted to the purpose of securing an auxiliary musical instrument to a hand in a manner that overcomes the disadvantages identified above. More specifically, and among other reasons, the disclosed apparatus hinder at least the range of motion of the thumb-knuckles and wrist whereby a mallet stricken percussion instrument cannot be played in a preferable manner. As a result, such apparatus cannot be consulted for input towards a solution to the above needs.